I would venture to guess that the great majority of us come from a refugee background. Someone in our family had the courage to leave “Home,” wherever that was, and did it for a variety of reasons.

In the case of my ancestors, what motivated them was the fact that the Ottomans, in the death throes of their empire, began a new policy of conscripting young Christian boys into their army, putting them on the front lines and never letting them out. They could not hope to get an education, choose a profession, raise a family, and do all the normal things that make life happy for young men and women. Thus, they took the possessions that were allowed, paid the Ottomans most of their money for safe passage, and came to the United States of America. The USA attracted them as a beacon of light shining above the darkness that was created by hopelessness and fear.

I need not tell you of the darkness that motivates people to leave their homes. As we read the newspapers or watch the news on T.V., we hear all about forces all over the world that target civilians.

The Kakuma Refugee Camp in northwestern Kenya was built in 1992 to house 58,000 refugees. It received so many refugees from Ethiopia, Somalia, and Sudan that it is now bulging at the seams with 185,154 regular refugees and asylum seekers (UNHCR, 2018). The children there are looking for a future as did my ancestors. As you know, the future is hard to face without an education. The United Nations is trying to give them the opportunity to get an education by inviting people to contribute to the “Adopt-a-Future” Campaign. We at UNA-USA, Westchester chapter have promised to help and have adopted the Gambela Primary school at Kakuma Camp, which has over 3,000 students.

We are trying to raise $30,000 for this worthy cause to help to build a classroom, pay teachers, and buy needed books and supplies for the next 10 years. Our board members have contributed at a fund-raiser and now we appeal to you. If you have not had a chance to give to help the children at Gambela Primary School, would you consider doing so now? We invite you to help support these refugee children and families.